Self-rotating air-torpedo.



No. 785,644. Y PATENTED MAR. 21, 1905-.l

w. T. UNGE. f

SELF ROTATING AIR TORPEDO. 'APPLIcuIoN run nu 1s. 1904.

' 2 SHEETS-.SHEET No. 785,644. PATENTED MAR. 21, 1905.

' 2 w. T. UNGB. Y

SELF ROTATING AIR ToRPEDo.

' APPLIOATION FILED MAY 18, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

figa llNrTnn STATES Patented March 21, 1905.

i ATENT Trice..

SELF-ROTATING AIR-TORPDO.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of' Letters Patent No. 785,644, dated March 21, 1905.

l .Application filed May 18, 1904. Serial No. 208,594.

'o /LZ/ wwm, it 11m/y concern:

Be it known that l, WILHELM THEODOR UNGE, a subject of the King of Sweden and Norway, and a resident of Skepparegatan 5,

Stockholm, in the Kingdom of Sweden, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self-Rotating Air-Torpedoes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The object of this invention is to provide means in self-rotating air-torpedoes whereby the torpedo when ejected from a launchingtube or a launching apparatus adapted to give the torpedo the desired direction can rotate, when being in the said tube and without being prevented in its rotation by the wall of the said tube, round its natural axis of rotation-Jo'. e., the line passing through the center of gravity-which axis never coincides with the geometrical axis of the torpedo, owing to imperfections in the manufacturing of the torpedo and the charge of the saine. By this means the torpedo is at liberty to elect, even in the launching-tube, exactly the axis of rotation which it would elect when having left the mouth of the said tube. Owing to this fact the ability of the torpedo to hit will be the greatest possible, for if the bore of the launching-tube would determinate the axis of rotation, which in such a caso evidently would be the geometrical axis of the torpedo, forces lwill arise when the torpedo has left the bore, which forces drive the torpedo out of its course. lf, on the other hand, the torpedo can center itself au-"J tom atically even in the launching-tube the said forces will evidently not arise.

My invention. consists in providing the torpedo with a ring inclosing and supporting the same, which ring is termed the balancering in ,the following specification and is mounted at or near the center of gravity of the torpedo and has such a great outside diameter that when the torpedo is rotating in the launching-tube the nose and,v the back end of the torpedo during their oscillations, caused by the fact that the two axes mentioned above do not coincide, do not touch the wall of the tube, and consequently donot prevent the torpedo from rotating freely round its natural axis of rotation. Owing to imperfections in the manufacturing of the torpedoes, it may be supposed that the center point of the circumference of the said balance-ring is not situated on the axis of rotation of the torpedo, (the line passing through the center of gravity). For the said reason the balance-ring is preferably made of such a soft material (metal) or is so shaped that the bearing-surface of the same, pressed against the wall of the launching-tube by the torpedo and rotating with the latter, will be worn in such a manner that the said center point has moved to and coincideswith the axis of rotation after a few revolutions of the torpedo.

ln the accompanying drawings, which serve to illustrate the invention, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the launching-tube and a torpedo mounted in the same, said torpedo being provided with a balancering. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the said tube. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view, on a reduced scale, of a part of the launching-tube and a side view of the torpedo. Fig. 4 is an end view of the torpedo. Fig. 5 illustrates different positions of a rotating torpedo provided with a balance-ring mounted at a short distance before the center of gravity. Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6 to 6 of Fig. 3, on a larger scale, and illustrates the wearing of the balance-ring during the rotation of the torpedo in the launching-tube. Figs. 7 vand 8 show two modifiedvforms of the invention. Figs. 3 to S illustrate schematically the invention and its manner of function.

1,Figs.1 and 2,is the launching-tube. The said tube is swinging on a shaft 2, 'fixed in projections 3 on an ordinary platform 4, and is held in the desired inclined position by a support 5, hinged to the tube 1. The lower end of the support 5 is pivoted to a slide 6, movable in guides 7 on the said platform 4. A screw-spindle 8, journaled in brackets 9 on the platform and provided with a wheel 10,

passes through the said slide and is in threaded engagement with the same. By turning the said screw the tube is raised or lowered to the desired inclined position.

11 is the torpedo. After the torpedo has been inserted into the tube 1 the back end of the tube is shut by means of a bottom piece 12, hinged to the tube and held in closed position by means of a lever 13, pivoted to the tube 1 and embracing a projection 14 on the bottom piece. The torpedo consists of a cylinder 11., the front end of which is closed by a screw-plug 15, on which is fixed the headpiece 16, containing the explosive charge. The said cylinder 11 contains the motive composition 17, held in position by the screw-plug, and a bottom plate 18, provided with a central hole 19. ln the rear end of the cylinder 11 a turbine is inserted.. The said turbine consists of a casing 20, screwed into the cylinder 11, and of spiral wings 21, projecting from a central body 22 and made integral with the same. The said body 22, with the wings, is held in the casing in any suit-able manner. In the central body a bore 23 is provided, passing from its back end to its iront end. ln the enlarged rear portion of the said bore a cartridge 24 is mounted,

containing gunpowder and a fine platinum wire. (Not shown.) One end of the said wire is connected with a plate ixed in the bottom of the cartridge, but insulated from the same. The other end of the wire is connected with the ease of the cartridge. A spring 25, fixed on the bottom piece 12 and insulated from the same, bears upon the said plate. The spring is connected with a clamping-screw 2G, another clamping-screw, 27, being fixed in the bottom piece 1,2, but not insulated from the same. Said clamping-screws are connected with an electric source, and when the circuit is closed current passes from the clampingserew 26 through the spring 25, the platinum wire, the case of the cartridge 24, the turbine, the wall of the cylinder 11, the wall of the launching-tube 1, .the bottom piece 12, and the clamping-screw 27. The wire is then heated by the current to such a degree that it ignites the gunpowder. The llame from the ignited gunpowder passes through the bore 23 and ignites the motive composition 17 in its turn. The gases from the burning composition act upon the wings 21, causing the torpedo to rotate and when leaving the torpedo drive the same forward.

2S is a piece lixed in the tube 1 and forming a support for the rear end of the torpedo..

29 is the bala11ceiing. The said ring is lixed on the torpedo at or substantially at the center point of the same and bears against the wall of the launching-tube 1 at the point E, Fig. 3.

F F is the geometrical axis of' the torpedo,

and G G is supposed to be its natural axis of rotation. The axis last mentioned forms an angle u' with the axis F F.

H and l designate two peints in which the geometrical axis and the axis of rotation out a plane passing through the extreme back end of the torpedo.

It will be seen Vfrom Fig. 3 that the condition for the free rotation ol the torpedo round the axis G G is that the distance between the circumference of the bala1'1ee-ring and the eylindrical surface of the torpedo is at least as great as the distance between the points .ll and I-i. e., the height of the ring is dependent upon the width of the angle fr.

In Fig. 5 a torpedo is shown provided with a balance-ring 2), mounted ata shortdistance before the center point of the torpedo, so that the edge et its back end rests upon the bottom wall of the tube 1 at the point K. At the commencement of the rotation oi the torpedo the point L, situated diametrically opposite to the said point K en the edge oi the back end of the torpedo, will take the place of the point Kaiter half a revolution, and the natural axis of rotation G G will have the position marked G G. As the torpedo tends to rotate round the natural axis of rotatiim the point L will take the place marked M after the next half-revolution, during which the whole torpedo will swing about the balance-peint E and occupy the position shown in dotted lines. Consequently the 'front-emi and the bacl end plane of the torpedo oscillate between the positions shown by full and by dotted lines during the rotation of the torpedo in the launching-tube without the torpedo being prevented in its rotation by the wall ot the said tube. Owing to the inertia et the torpedo and its great rotary velocity, the back edge of the torpedo will hit the wall oi: the launchingtube with only a slight force when being inits lowest position. lf the balance-ring is mounted round the center ot gravity, as shown in Fig. 3, and the outside diameter of the same is suitably adjust-ed, the edge ol the back end will touch the wall ol' the launching-tube only lightly.

It will be seen from the above that the torpedo when leaving the launching-tuin rotates round its natural axis elt rotation and will have the direction Vforward in which the wall of the launehingtube compels the balance-ring 2) to move. It will also be understood Afrom the above how the torpedo swings if the balance-ring is situated behind the eenter of gravity. It is assumed above that the natural axis of rotation of' the torpedo is constant. ln reality this is not the case, because the position of the center of gravity changes a little and continually, owing to the con tinuous and sometimes uneven combustion By the arrangeof the motive composition.

IOO

ment stated above the torpedo is able to adust the position of its axis of rotationalso to the said circumstances.

A, Fig. 6, is the outer cylindrical surface of the torpedo; C, the outer edge or surface of the balance-ring F, the position of the geometrical axis of the torpedo, and G the position of the center of gravity of thetorpedo or the axis passing through the said point. During the rotation of the torpedo round the axis G the balance-ring .bears upon the wall of the launching-tube with Va varying pressure, owing to its eccentric position, and the said pressure will be at its maximum when the center of gravity Gis at the greatest distance from the balance-point and at its minimum when the center of` gravity is at the shortest distanoe frcm the balance-point. By making the balance-ring of a suitable soft metal or by suitably shaping the said ring the ring is so worn during the rotation of the torpedo in the launching-tube, owing to the said varying pressure, that the center of the periphery gradually comes nearer the line passing through the center` of gravity of the torpedo, and the ring will finally have the contour shown by the dotted lines. In order that such a rapid adjusting wearing of the balance-ring may be effected during the rotation of the torpedo in the launching-tube, the bearing portion of the balance-ring may consist of an edge, as shown, for instance, in Fig. 7, in which figure the ring 29 consists of a blunt cone, the rear wider edge of which being easily worn or compressed during the rotation, so that its center point comes nearer and finally coincides with the natural axis of rotation of the torpedo. l

In order that the torpedo may have a central position in the bore of the launchingtube before the igniting of the torpedo, it may be provided with two balance-rings, mounted on each sideof the center of gravity. Such an arrangement is illustrated in Fig. 8. G is the center ofy gravity of the torpedo, and 29 29 are the balance-rings. During the oscillations of the rotating torpedo, Fig. 5, the torpedo is supported by the fore and rear balance-rings alternately, the said rings being mounted near the center ofgravity, at a distance from the saine of about half the diameter of the torpedo. The ring which for the moment does not support the torpedo is removed a veryshort distance from the wall of the launching-tube. Owing to this fact and the fact that the balance-rings bear upon the wall of the launching-tube by means ofan edge of comparatively soft metal-as, for instance, copper or brass-both rings soon will be so worn through the rotation that the center of the periphery of each ring coincides with the natural axis of rotation of the torpedo and the torpedo leaves the launchingtube supported by both rings simultaneously bearing against the wall of the said tube.

I am aware that in the manufacturing of projectiles the ordinary band round the projectile has been mounted at or near the center of gravity of the same for facilitating the manufacturing; but the said band has not been adapted to serve the same purpose as the balance-ring stated above, the band be* ing adapted only to impart the rotary motion to the projectile by engaging the grooves of the bore and to prevent the gases behind the projectile from passing between the same and the wall of the gun.

I-Iaving now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isi The combination of a self-rotating airtorpedo provided with continuously-burning motive composition and a balance-ring mounted round the torpedo at or near its center of gravity, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination of a self-rotating airtorpedo provided with continuously-burning motive composition and a balance e ring which is mounted round the torpedo at or near its center of gravity and the periphery of which is at a distance from the surface of the torpedo greater than the distance between the points in which the geometrical axis of the torpedo and the axis of rotation assumed to have the greatest deviation cut the back end plane of the torpedo, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination of a self-rotating airtorpedo provided with continuously-burning motive composition, a balance-ring mounted lOO round the torpedo near its center of gravity and another balance-ring mounted round the torpedo on the opposite side of the said center and near the same, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination of a self-rotating airi torpedo provided with continuously-burning motive composition, and a balance-ring made of soft material and mounted round the torpedo at or near its center of gravity, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination of a self-rotating airtorpedo provided with continuously-burning motive composition and a balance-ring mounted round the torpedo at or near its center of gravity and having a sharp-edged bearing portion, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

6. The combination of a self-rotating airtorpedo provided with continuously-burning motive composition, a balance-ring made of soft material and mounted round the torpedo near its center of gravity and another lIO balance-ring mede of soft material and center and near the sznne said balance-rings mounted around the torpedo on the. oppohaving :t sharp-edged bearing portion, suhsite side of the seid. center and neer the sanno, stantelly as described und for the purpose substaultully us described und for the pur set forth. 15 5 pose set forth. In witness whereof I have hereunto 7. The Combination of a self-rotating airsigned my nume in the presence of two suh torpedo provided with continuously-hurning serihing Witnesses.

Witnesses ERNST SVANQVIST, ROBERT APELGREN.

round the torpedo near its center of wravity, 1o and another balance-ruig mounted round the torpedo on the opposlte slde of the sind motive composition, a balance-ring mounted WILHELM THEODOR U N GE. 

